Tama River

Training for a 50-kilometer race? You’re in luck, because Tokyo houses a 48-kilometer long trail that hugs the Tama River. So pack your running shoes and start training. The trail runs from Hamura Dam to Daishi Bridge in Ota Ward, but my favorite stretch runs from Fussa to Tachikawa. This section is especially stunning during the spring cherry blossom season or fall foliage. As you’re passing the Akishma neighborhood en route to Tachikawa, you’ll be greeted with a whale mascot on trail signage. This whale represents the almost complete whale skeleton a dad and son duo found in the riverbed in 1961. The skeleton is 40 feet long and is said to be over 2 million years old, a relative of the grey whale. From Fussa Station to Tachikawa Station along the Tama River trail will take about three and a half hours. The trail is almost entirely residential, which has the charm of smiling and enthusiastically exchanging “konichiwas” with everyone you pass.